12.17.2012

The
Massive (Dark Horse Comics):The
Massive is essentially everything I want from a modern comic book. It’s
wrapped in an immensely cool and diligently researched world-build, with
realistic action scenes amid globe-trotting adventure, intriguing atypical
characters speaking memorable lines, unforgettable art solidifying its social
relevance, innovative back-matter and even a companion
process site, from a creator whose ethos I actually respect. In many ways,
the romance of environmentalists trying to doggedly redefine themselves and
their mission after they’ve already lost this devastated world is the sum of
Brian Wood’s creator-owned capabilities poured into a single project.

Danger
Club (Image Comics):
My pitch for Landry Q. Walker and Eric Jones’ dark post-apocalyptic mess is
that “it’s like Warren Ellis riffing on
1960’s Teen Titans,” in that it’s the best post-modern superhero
deconstruction currently happening in the field. As the undisciplined inherit
the Earth, this creative team proves that there’s still worthwhile nooks and
crannies left unexplored in the industry’s most mined genre. The exception
proving the rule, sharp readers will notice that it’s the only ostensible
“superhero” book on this list.

Prophet
(Image Comics):
This sprawling European style sci-fi fantasy epic is from the fertile mind of
agile creator Brandon Graham. Prophet was
the flagship leading the charge for Image Comics’ creator-owned resurgence,
proof-of-concept that deliberately blurring the line between mainstream and indie is a
viable paradigm yielding remarkable results. With a horde of artistic talent on
display like Simon Roy, Giannis Milonogiannis, Farel Dalrymple, et al, from its
complete unpredictability, to Hemmingway style prose, to lack of insulting
exposition, to utterly inventive cool factor, there’s a reason it’ll be on
nearly every critic’s best-of-the-year list.

Scalped
(DC/Vertigo):Paging every premium cable TV executive,
like, everywhere: If you’re not seriously looking at a Scalped adaptation as the next big Game of Thrones or The
Walking Dead style phenomenon, you’re just not doing your job. Scalped was on my best-of list every
single year it was being published, with more “holy shit!” moments than any
other book in recent memory. As we finally say goodbye to its dark majesty, we
should remember it for being not just one of the best crime books ever, not
just one of the best Vertigo books ever, but just one of the best books ever.
Period. It’s best when examining the cyclical nature of crime and violence with
startling and heartbreaking intensity, amid a decaying and often disregarded
stratum of American culture.

Mind
MGMT (Dark Horse Comics): I’m surprised at how many comic book aficionados turn
out to be closeted foodies. Weirdest segue ever? Maybe. But in the era of craft
beer and eclectic gastropubs with widespread appeal, here’s an example of
“craft comics” from a mainstream publisher, propelling “the guy who made all
those cool indie comics” into the well-deserved spotlight. Everything about
Matt Kindt’s one-man-band coming out party feels lovingly handcrafted to tell a
tale of pulpy espionage and the secret sun-bleached histories permeating our
global society.

Godzilla:
Half Century War (IDW): James Stokoe wasn’t so much hired as he was unleashed onto this property. With his
trademark eye-candy detail insanity, he repurposes what is frankly a stale old
monster convention and uses it as a through-line backdrop to tell more personal
stories about the military men assigned to take down the beast. In doing so, we
learn what it says about the people and their insecurities, and by vicarious
extension our civilization’s collective fears as a whole, with each issue
cascading through the waning decades of the 20th Century.

My
Friend Dahmer (Abrams ComicArts): Derf Backderf doesn’t go for the easy path
and present the shock value serial killer we’ve all seen in popular media, but
digs deeper to examine the more systemic horror. My Friend Dahmer depicts a disturbing portrait of the holistic
society that failed young Jeffrey, including his family, friends, teachers, and
local law enforcement who were all given ample warning signs and opportunities
to intercede. With my criminal justice background, I’m no apologist, I refuse
to blame anyone else for a perpetrator’s actions, and sometimes evil is just
evil beyond help. Yet still, the truly disturbing aspect of this case is that
it may actually say more about the perpetual breakdown of our familial bonds
and isolationist social units in our culture than the nature of one man’s
horrific compulsion.

Goliath
(Drawn & Quarterly): Tom Gauld’s story of David & Goliath, this time from
Goliath’s somewhat conscripted point of view, is an exceedingly successful
exercise in minimalism and restraint. With stark imagery, he presents a
time-lost tragicomedy of a reluctant and surprisingly introspective man, offering
a subscriptive vs. prescriptive reading experience in the process. Goliath is thin on dialogue and
exposition, but high on emotional potency and visual impact.

The
Making Of (Drawn & Quarterly):Brecht Evens’ long-form tale is full of
heart, full of humor, and full of gorgeous undulating washes. It’s an
intelligent and honest story about one singular realization of truth, that the
artistic process is as valuable, if not more so, than the end result it seeks
to produce. Art is a goal unto itself, but the sheer momentum of the journey is
where actual knowledge and experience lie. Evens makes it known by developing
his own visual language to convey dreams, personality, and emotion, in what is
probably *the* most beautiful
example of comics-making this year.

Wasteland
(Oni Press): Artists
have come and gone in different capacities, but writer Antony Johnston’s
post-apocalyptic vision has endured. Johnston has conjured a strong world-build
as a primary feature, but the series has legs beyond the hook because of the
universal themes of religion, love, betrayal, belonging, the quest for our
origins, and pure survival, all
timeless to the human experience. As we near what should be approximately the
last two years worth of issues, it’s the series I’m most excited to devour when
a new issue hits, because it defies prediction.

20TH
Century Boys (VizMedia): Post-WWII reconstructionism in Japan is the
underlying fuel that influences this epic narrative, as a group of youngsters
attempt to take control of their destiny and build themselves the future they
were promised. 20TH Century
Boys is the twisting and turning generational tale of what goes horribly
wrong when they do. I’m excited to see how what is hailed as “the Watchmen of Japan” wraps up for the
final two volumes which have transitioned to 21ST Century Boys.

Get
Jiro! (DC/Vertigo):
In this urban Mad Max style culinary apocalypse, Anthony Bourdain and Langdon
Foss position cult chefs as the new center of power in the crumbling culture of
Los Angeles. It’s a non-stop ride full of social commentary and, obviously, food, which is always an entry level
method of surveying cultures. Like the late Seth Fisher, Foss’ expressive art
is an immersive experience that just makes you believe. The creators are
careful to point out that extremism of any kind is dangerous, and I loved the
notes about doing the mainstream sell-out work in any profession to fund your
more personal indie losses.

Punk
Rock Jesus (DC/Vertigo): I came superficially for the intricate Sean Murphy art,
but also got an unapologetic examination of hot button religious issues. Murphy
is an all-around entertainer, weaving in great action sequences, memorable
poignant moments, and a rich cast of characters. It’s hard to say this when I
haven’t read the final issue, but it’s the kind book you want to see develop
with additional mini-series or an ongoing treatment. One of the few bright
Vertigo spots left in the wake of DMZ,
Northlanders, Scalped, and other departing critically-praised series.

NOTES: It was a great year. This is the only
year I remember having far more contenders than available slots. It was really
a toss-up for that last slot, which could have just as easily been Think Tank (Image Comics) by Matt
Hawkins and Rahsan Ekedal. I literally had to go back and count which got
better reviews, and with more issues in the can, Punk Rock Jesus edged out Think
Tank by a very slim margin. I tried so hard to get Multiple Warheads: Alphabet to Infinity (Image Comics) by Brandon
Graham on the list. At one point, I thought I’d just be contrarian and slide it
in instead of Prophet. But, I only
saw two issues of Multiple Warheads
and that seemed slim by comparison. I also wanted to stick with my loose
guideline that no creator should have more than one entry in order to spread
the love around, otherwise half of my picks would honestly just be Brian Wood
books. Speaking of, there’s no reason that his Conan The Barbarian (Dark Horse) adaptation or adjectiveless X-Men (Marvel) run with artist David
Lopez would look out of place on this list. I enjoyed Saga (Image Comics), but it felt more like a Top 20 selection. I
enjoyed Secret (Image Comics), but
with a pitiful two issues from Jonathan Hickman before stalling out like so
many of his creator-owned series, it just didn’t feel right to reward a
woefully incomplete tease. I was very into the Juan Jose Ryp art and
introductory premise of writer David Schulner’s Clone (Image), but with a partial project underway, there were
other contenders with more skin in the game. While it ended up being a
creator-owned extravaganza, the company-owned title that came closest, and was
even on the list at various points throughout the year as the exception that
proved the rule, was Batwoman (DC)
by JH Williams III, who is one of the premiere artists of our time. He’s taken
what is otherwise a simple set of themes and added so much psychological
gravitas through his unique layouts and aesthetic. On the GN front, I also
failed to find places for the terrific American
Barbarian (AdHouse) by Tom Scioli,
Coldest City (Oni Press) by Antony Johnston, The Strange Talent of Luther Strode (Image Comics) by Justin Jordan
& Tradd Moore (though I have a good feeling about The Legend of Luther Strode for 2013!), and yet another one from
Brandon Graham, King City (Image Comics).